Coke-oven



(No Model.)

0.o. MARYKLB E R-.HfsMITH f Coke Oven.

No. 235.368. v h Patented Dec. 14.1880.

UNITED STATES PATENT oAsSIUs o. MAEKLE, 0E WEST NEWTON, AND EoLAND H. SMITH, or PITTSBUEG, PENNSYLVANIA.

COKE-OVEN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 235,368, dated December 14, 1880.

Application filed March 13, 1880. (No model.)

and useful Improvement in Coke-Ovens and',

in Utilizing the Product thereof; and'we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,

concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, makingva part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating likefparts- Figure 1 is a perspective view of our improved apparatus, the Acorner of one oven and one condenser ,being broken away in order to illustrate certain features'of interior construction; and Fig. 2 is apers'pective'view, to an enlarged scale, of one ofthe ovens, but with the oven-Walls and floor shown partly in section.

Our invention relates to an improved construction of apparatus for the making of coke from soft or bituminous coals, wherein the carbonaceous gases from the ovens are carried directly to and through a series of condensers `or Washers, thenceto Va holder, and; thence' through pipes or passages in the inclosing-` walls-of the oven or ovens vfor the reheating of the samp;` and are finally discharged in jets into the charge inclosed in tle oven, substantially as hereinafter set forth and claimed.:

Our apparatus is constructed withv reference, among other things, to rapidity of operation, superiority of product,"and the utilization of Waste products. y

By carrying on the process more rapidly we are enabled to secure a greater amount of pro'- duct without increase of plant. By` utilizing Waste products `We lessen thefexpense, and by a l process of treatment which drives oft or consumes a minimum of carbon, andwhich hardens` the product vwhich results from the process, and which also eliminates objectionable impurities, wematerially enhancethevalue of the coke produced.: y y

@ur coke-oven` WallsA are of the usual or any suitable construction ,fordin arilyfbuilt up of masonry with ties or binders, and Yloy preference so as to give a dome-shaped oven, A".

In the nre-brick lining of this dome we build a spiral, zigzag, or other desired arrangement of pipe, a, in such manner that such pipe may be highly heated from the heat of the oven. This pipe passes down under or into the bottom of the oven, and passes around or across such oven-bottom in such manner that the contents of the pipe maybe discharged therefrom through jet-holes a. at points distributed over the bottom, in any desired number, into the oven proper.

The usual door for removing the charge is shown at A2 and a charging-hole at A3, closed by a hinged .or removable lid, as is common in such apparatus.

Ordinarily such ovens are built side by side in a row in any desired number; but for the purposes of our invention two are quite enough for illustration.

A branch pipe, D, leads from each charg- 7o ing-hole, which for this purpose constitutes an escape-Hue to a main or trunk flue, D', and the latter discharges into a condenser, Washer, or scrubber, B. The uncondensed products 'of combustion pass thence, by pipes D2 D3, to condensers or scrubbers B and B3, and iinally the purified gas goes to a gas-holder, H, by a pipe, D4, where it is stored for use.

Each condenser has a pipe, b, for the introduction of condensing or washing material, a

-`trapped pipe, d, for the escape of the excess of js'uch material. and a cock, d', for drawing oitl the condensation, and also a series of leaves -ojr shelves, s, over which the condensing material Hows, so as to get the largest practicable or desirable surface for condensation.

A gas-pipe, c, leads from the gas-holder to the Worm-pipes a, and a branch pipe, c', leading from any suitable steam-generator, is connected with it, as shown. A branch, c, leads to each one of a series of ejectors arranged, as at e, in the pipes D D2 D3 D4, as a means for promoting the draft or the regular onow ofthe uncondensed gas.

The proper cocks are to be added, according to the requirements of the Work.

By the use of such apparatus We propose to save the gas driven oft' in the coking operation, torl utilize itin perfecting and carrying on the coking process and in improving the proroo duct; also, while purifying the gas and preparing it for the uses thus designated, to save the otherwise waste elements which are condensed in the purifying operation, and by the use of steam to further purify the coke and also improve it by hardening it.

Assuming, now, that without any gas on hand the ovens are heated, charged, and ready t-o start, we first let on steam through the pipes c c to the ejectors e', in order to promote the draft on the principle of the ordinary exhaust, and also to the worm-pipe a. The steam is thus superheated and discharged through the jet-holes a into the oven. Combustion is promoted partly by the decomposition of the steam, but chiefly by the draft. The resinous and tarry ingredients are driven cti' with much of the other impurities, either as they existin the coal or are produced by decompositionsuch as sulphur and ammonia-and are cnrried over to the condenser B. Here they are met by a jet of water introduced by the pipe b, and the resinons and tarry ingredients are condensed and deposited in the form of what is usually known as coal-tar.7 The remaining portion ofthe products of combustion goes then to the condenser B', where a jet or spray of weak hydrochloric acid is introduced, as before. For most purposes` a solution of about onethird acid and two-thirds water will suice for the purpose; but these proportions may be varied at pleasure.

By surface condensation, as before, the ammoniacal gases are here condensed into a liquid form. This, like the coal-tar previously condensed, may be drawn oii and utilized in any of the ways known in the art. The remaining portion of the gas then goes to the third condenser, B2. where a jet or jets ot' lime-water are introduced, so ns by surface'comlensation, as before, to condensethesnlphurous gases, which deposit partly as a powder, called sometimes powder of sulphur. This will ordinarily be held in mechanical suspension, and may he drawn off into a vat and be allowed to settle, after which it may be utilized for any desired purposes. The gas is now suiciently purified for the uses for which wc desire it, andis stored in the gas-holderll. Ofcourse the operation thus described goes on as long as any gas is coming o' from any of the ovens. Having accumulated sufcient gas for the purpose, we use it instead of the steam for promoting the coking operation, and for this purpose we introduce it into the ovens as soon as they are charged by passing it through the pipes a and jet-holes a', as already described with reference to the steam.

An important end to be kept in view in the coking operation is the driving off of the tarry and resinous ingredients and other objectionable impurities with the least possible consumption of the carbon of the coal, since the quality of the coke is improved by the retention' therein of the largest possible percentage of solid uncombined carbon. Now, by thus introducing into the coke-ovens a carbureted hydrogen at a high temperature, in the manner described, we increase the draft, and also increase the temperature and carry on the coking operation from below upward instead of from above downward. We also supply to the material to be coked a considerable percentage of carbon, which unites with the impurities or undesirable ingredients of the coal and eliminates them, and thereby lessens by so much the percentage of carbon which oth erwise would be taken np from the coal. Hence we drive off the impurities more rapidly and leave the coke richer in carbon, and being richer in carbon, it is so much the better as a material for the evolution of heat, and is also so much the harder, whereby' it is better adapted for use in blast and smelting furnaces, cupolas, &c., where it has to sustain a heavy burden. A soft coke for such purposes is generally regarded as unfit for use. After the material in the oven has thus been brought to a state of incandescence we shut oli' the gas and turn on the steam. We have fourni that the steam at that stage of the process has a kind of washing or cleansing e'ect on the coke and drives or carries olif still lnore perfectly' the ammonia and sulphur, as well as other lesser impurities, if any be left; and we have also found that the steam tends to still further harden the coke with the advantage or belicht already set forth.

The principal object of carrying the gas around through the worm a is to heat it; but for this purpose we do not limit ourselves to this means, since other suitable means for doing this work may be substituted, as a stove v .results may be secured by using the gas in the manner described without any preliminary reheating, or with only such reheating as the gas would get from passing through a pipe or pipes arranged in the oven-floor and discharging into the oven, as already described. For this purpose we have shown a pipe, n, branching from the pipe c, and which may lead directly or indirectly to a system of jet-holes in the oven-licor, such as are above described. In this way we adapt our improvement to coke-ovens already built, where it may be diiicult or impossible to put the pipe in the lining of the dome without tearing down and rebui1ding the entire oven. In the ovens as we build them the lining in which theworrn a is laid is huilt separately, and when it burns out or when renewal or repairs are necessary it may be removed, wholly or in part, from the inside, and rebuilt or replaced in like manner; and in designating this device as a pipe we include therein pipes formed by perforated vbricks or hollow tile placed with their openings in line, and such structure will be preferable where the IIO y prefer to use aspiral, which may be made under or in the iioor, either of metal or of tile;

but other forms may be employed--as, for ex# ample, a single pipemay run directly across the bottom, or two or more suchpipes may cross each other at the center, or one or more annular pipes of metal or tile may extend around or zigzag back and forth across the bottom, the jet-holes for supplying the gas or steam to the oven being distributed accordingly. Nor do we limit ourselves to a domeshaped oven, since the same features ofinvention may be advantageously applied to other forms of ovens, and the gas-reheating pipes may be arranged in connection with any desired part of the Walls or Hoor which form the oven. We have found that by the means above described We arel enabled to carry on the cokiug operation so rapidly as to reduce 'the time necessarily occupied in the process by about one-half. A

We claim herein as our invention- 1. In combination with a coke-oven, a system ofconduitpipes and Washers or condensers for carrying off and purifying the gas produced from the oven, a gas-holder for storing the puried gas, a conduit-pipe passing from the gas-v holder through one or more of the inclosingwalls of the oven, for the reheating of the gas,

such pipe discharging in jets into the oven, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with the conduit-pipes, Washers or condensers, and holder, for conducting oft', purifying, and storing the Waste gases of a coal-coking apparatus7 and a pipe leading from the holder to the oven, a series of jet-holes in theoven opening directly into the charging-space ofthe oven, and distributed substantially as set forth, whereby the carbon necessary for driving oftl the impurities of the coa-l is furnished at various points to the charge from the purified gas so introduced, and the coke is left correspondingly rich in carbon.

3. In combination with a coke-oven, a conduit-pipe for carrying off the gases produced in the cokin g operation, a series of condensers or Washers forpurifyin g the gas, a gas-holder in which t`o store the purified gas, a pipe leading from such holder to and discharging in `iets into the oven, and means for heating such pipe at a point intermediate between the gas-holder and the oven, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

OASSIUS C. MARKLE. ROLAND H. SMITH.

Witnesses:

G. L. PARKER, GEORGE H. GHRIsTY. 

